Third-rail snow-cleaner.



CJHF. HENDERSON & c. n. WINCHELL.

THIRD RAIL snow CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, I915- LMLMB, Patentd May 2, 1916.

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I Gttozwug c. F. HENDERSON & c. 0. WINCHELL. THIRD RAIL SNOW CLEANEIL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, l9l5- Patented May 2, 1916.

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THE COLUMBIA l-LANOORAPH ,CO., WABHINUTONF D- C.

c. F. HENDERSON ,0. WINCHELL THIRD RAIL SNOW'CLEANER.

g c lllqlllilulq APPLICATION F ILED NOV. 6, 191.5.

Patented May 2, 1916.

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CHARLES F. HENDERSON AND GHAUNGE'Y D. WINCHELL, 0F WAMPSVILLE, NEW YORK.

THIRD-RAIL SNOW-CLEANER;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 6, 1915. Serial No. 60,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES F. HEN- onnson" and CHAUNOEY D. WINOHELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Wampsville, in the county of Madison and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Third-Rail Snow- Cleaners, of which the following is a speclfication.

This invention relates to devices for removing snow and ice from the thlrd rail of rapid transit systems and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a cleaner or plow as indicated which is of simple structural arrangement and adapted to be carried by a car truck and whlch is provided with a scraper bladev adapted to move along the underside of the third rail and remove the snow and ice therefrom. The said scraper blade is mounted upon a chute into which the material removed from the third rail may fall and from which it is ejected over and beyond the said rail. The chute is mounted upon an arm which in turn is pivotally mounted in a bracket attached to the truck frame of the car or vehicle, and means are provided at the sad bracket for holding the arm and the chute carried thereby in an elevated position with relation to the third rail when the device is not in use. Also means are provided at the said bracket for resiliently holding the chute and the scraper blade toward the third rail when the device is in use for the purpose stated.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is' a side elevation of a car truck with the cleaner applied. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same showing the parts in one position. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing theparts in another position. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the bracket of the cleaner. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the same. F g. 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the same. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the blade of the device and adjacent parts. Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view of the same. e v

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings the snow and ice cleaner is applied to a car truck l, which may be of any usual or conventional form. A bracket 2 is mounted at the side of the truck 1 and may be in the form of a casting or any other suitable structure. An arm 3 is pivotally mounted in the bracket 2 and at its other end the said arm is bifurcated forming branches 4. A chute 5 is attached to the outer ends of the branches 4 and the said chute is of general tubular configuration. The chute 5 is provided at its lower or forward end with an extension 6 which constitutes a nose adapted to travel under the third rail 7 when the point between the said guide with an opening 9. A scraper blade 10 is detachably mounted upon the nose 6 between the guide strips 8 and the said blade 10 is convexed longitudinally and is provided at a point between its ends with an opening 11 which is located above and slightly in advance of the opening 9 in the nose 6.

The

The arm 3 is. providedat its inner end with an angularly disposed extremity 12 having at its rear side a rearwardlydisposed shoulder or lug 13. A block 14 is movably mounted in the bracket 2 and a coil spring 15 is interposed between the top portion of the said bracket and the upper surface of the block 14 and is under tension with a tendency to hold the block 15 in a lowered position in the bracket 2. The block 15 is provided at its opposite side with lugs 16 which lie in vertically disposed slots 17 provided in the sides of the bracket 2 whereby the block 14 is guided in its vertical movement and the vertical movementof the said block is limited by the length of the slots 17. The arm 3 is provided at a point in the vicinity of the edge of the bracket 2 with a notch 18which. when the said arm is swungto an upright position with relation to the bracket, is received be tween .the opposite sides of the bracket. A spring pressed dog 19 is pivotally mounted upon one side of the bracket 2 and has an end portion passing through one side of the V bracket and the end of the said dog is adapted to enter the notch 18 when the arm 3 is swung to a vertical position with the relation to the bracket 2 whereby the said arm and its attachments are held at a set position. The block 1 1 is provided at its underside with a socket 20 in which the upper end of the extremity 12 is adapted to engage when the arm 3 is swung to its lowered position with relation to the bracket 2 and inasmuchas the spring 15 bears against the said block 14 it will be seen that the arm 3 is held resiliently under the influence of the spring 15 in its lowered position. A pawl 21 is pivotally mounted in the lower portion of the bracket 2 and a spring 22 is mounted in the said bracket and bears at its free end against one side ofthe pawl 21 and is under tension with a tendency to hold thefree end of the pawl 21 toward the extremity 12.0f the arm 3. The pawl 21 is provided at one side with a knob 23 which passes througha slot 2s provided 111 the side of the bracket 2.

The operation of the device is as follows: The arm 3 is swung to its lowered position with relation to the bracket 2 and when so swung the lower end of the two sides lies below the third rail 7 and. inasmuchas the arm 3 is resiliently supported under the in fluence of the spring 15, the upper side of the blade 10, bearsagainst the lower face of the third rail 7, consequently as the truckl moves along the trackthe chute 5 is V 1 'j the openings 11 and'9 and falls in the lower end of the nose 6. 40

carried along thethird rail and the blade 10 moves the snow and ice from the lower face of the rail,- 7.. The-material thus removed from thethird rail gravitates through As the material accumulates in the said nose it is crowded up through the chute 5 and from the upper end of the said chute is delivered above and beyond one side of the third rail 7. There fore, it will be seen that as the truckmoves along the track the blade carried by the chute 5 .efiiciently cleans the lower surface of the said third rail in order that it may 'haveproper contact with the shoe of the V a the chute 5 is elevated above the third rail and the dog 19 engages in the notch 18 and holds. the arm and the chute in the said elevated position. While the arm 3 is. in its lowermost position it is (supported as hereinbefor'e stated) in a resilient manner under the influence of the spring 15, consequently the blade 10 which is carried by the chute may follow the under surface of the third rail 7 in the event that the third rail rises or falls with relation to its normal position with respect to the track rails over which the truck 1' travels. When the arm 3 is in its lowermost position, the free end become displaced from the third rail 7, the

arm cannot fly suddenly in an upright direction in view of the fact that the lug 13 will encounter the upper end of the pawl 21 and thus the upward swinging movement of the said arm is checked. lVhen it is desired to elevate the outer end of the arm 3, an operator grasps the knob 23 and moves the pawl 21 upon its pivot out of the path of movement of the lug 13 and against the tension of the spring 22. Thus the outer end of the arm 3 may be swung in an upward direction and the dog 19 engaged in the notch 18 as hereinbefore described. lVhen the arm 3 is swung from its uppermost position to its lower position, the end of the extremity 12 moves in an upward direction along the forward side of the pawl 21 and pushes the free edge of the said pawl back until the lug 13 moves beyond the upper end of the said pawl. hen this happens the upper end of the pawl 21 is forced against the rearside of the extremity 12 under the influence of the spring 22 and the said arm 3 is held in its lowered position until such time as the upper edge of the pawl 21 is removed from the path of movement of the lug 13 when the said arm and its attachment may be raised to their elevated positions as hereinbefore described.

Having described the invention what is claimed is 1. In combination with a truck a third rail cleaner comprising a bracket attached to the truck, an arm pivotally attached to the bracket, a chute carried by the arm and means carried by the chute for moving along and in contact with the third rail.

2. In combination with a truck a third rail cleaner comprising a bracket attached to the truck, an arm pivotally mounted in the bracket, means mounted in the bracket for resiliently supporting the arm, a chute carried by the arm and means carried by the chute for moving along and in contact with the third rail.

3. In combination with a truck a third rail cleaner comprising a bracket attached to the truck, an arm pivotally mounted in the bracket, a chute carried by the arm and curved longitudinally, said chute being provided at its lower forward end with a nose portion, a blade mounted upon the said nose portion and adapted to move along and in contact with the third rail.

4. In combinaion with a truck a third rail cleaner comprising a bracket attached to the truck, an arm pivoted in the bracket, a chute carried by the arm, said chute being provided at its lower forward end with a nose having at its upper side an opening,

guide stripsmounted upon the nose, a blade mounted upon the nose between the said guide strips and having an opening adapted to register with the opening in the nose, said blade being convexed longitudinally.

5. In combination with a truck a third rail cleaner comprising a bracket attached to the truck, an arm pivotally mounted in the bracket, a chute carried by the arm, means carried by the chute for moving along and in contact with the third rail, spring means for supporting the arm in its lowered position, and a dog pivotally mounted upon the bracket and engageable with the arm to hold the same in an elevated position.

6. In combination with a truck a third rail cleaner comprising a bracket attached to the truck, an arm pivotally connected with the bracket a chute carried by the arm, means carried by the chute for moving along and in contact with the third rail, the said arm being provided at its inner end tion adapted to lie under the lug of the extremity of the arm and normally spaced from the same.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. HENDERSON. CHAUNGEY D. WINOHELL.

Witnesses:

AN'roNIo G. WALDO, J OHN H. ROBERTS.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

